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Superman / Kal-El / Clark Kent
Superman also known as the Man of Steel, is the most powerful being on the planet, an alien immigrant named Kal-El from the planet Krypton who was raised in Smallville, Kansas, to become an American superhero. Raised with high moral ideals, he uses his incredible strength, speed, flight and various other superpowers to fight evil and protect the innocent. In his civilian identity he is Clark Kent, a mild-mannered reporter working for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. He is a founding member of the Justice League of America and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th Century. Origin The planet Krypton was on the brink of destruction, married scientists Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van built a rocket they could use to save their unborn son Kal-El in his gestation chamber. Jor-El administered a serum 34 that would prevent Kal dying due to the biological link with Krypton that the artifact called Eradicator had previously established in each of the inhabitants of that planet (the proximity to their planet was required for them to live; this was why Jor-El and Lara did not leave Krypton; the serum also supposedly would only work in fetuses). Jor-El wanted his son to reclaim the fullness in life denied him by the sterility of Kryptonian culture, a world where its inhabitants rarely had direct contact, and preferred to interact with each other virtually. Jor-El planned to send his son to a distant planet orbiting a yellow sun he had been studying for some time: Earth. Meanwhile, the view on a monitor of a Earthling working in a rural area startled Lara, who noticed he exposing his skin to the sun and stepping on unprocessed soil. Jor-El explained that exposure to the yellow sunlight would charge Kal-El cells into living solar batteries and gift him with incredible powers. Just before Krypton finally came to an end his parents sent him to Earth as they planned. Upon landing, the child was discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kansas. The kindly couple decided they would adopt and raise him, naming him Clark Kent. Apparently a normal child at first, who even got to break an arm after falling from a walnut tree when he was only 5 years old 5, Clark's abilities increased steadily as he grew up, with super-strength and invulnerability manifesting at an early age and the power of flight developing during high school. His adopted parents revealed the rocket and his foreign heritage to their son when he was 18, leading Clark to the decision that he would become a hero in secret and use his powers to protect innocents.6 During this time he pursued his education at Metropolis University while seeking out a living to put himself through school.7 He operated this way for seven years until he was forced to save a space-plane in front of crowds of people, then meeting reporter Lois Lane for the first time at age 25. Deciding that it was time for him to become a public figure, Clark and Jonathan designed a symbol for him to wear while Martha created a costume. In his secret identity, he would drastically change his physical appearance and mannerisms while wearing spectacles so that nobody would suspect he led a double civilian life.6 During his first costumed adventures in Metropolis, he was dubbed Superman by Lois Lane. Later she would comment his debut broke a taboo of several years, since no one saw real superheroes since the dissolution of the Justice Society in 1951.8 Clark began his new career as a reporter for the Daily Planet working for chief-editor Perry White, alongside Lois and cub reporter Jimmy Olsen, with Superman's first exclusive interview.9 The media coverage would eventually attract the attention of corrupt business mogul Lex Luthor, who tests Superman and tries to get him on the villain's payroll by withholding support during a terrorist attack. Mayor Frank Berkowitzdeputizes Superman so he can arrest Luthor, and Luthor swears his revenge.10 Repeated attempts to murder Superman eventually led to LexCorp developing an imperfect clone of the Kryptonian named Bizarro. Jimmy began using a signal watch of his own design to call Superman whenever he was in peril.11 Returning to Smallville after many years and sorting out childhood best friend Lana Lang's feelings for him, Superman is exposed to the rocket once again. This time he receives a message from his birth parents Jor-El and Lara, learning of Krypton for the first time when Kryptonian technology implants centuries of knowledge in his brain. Superman considers his dual heritage, and decides that no matter where he's from, his life on Earth has made him a human and an American. Justice League Superman's first meeting with another superhero is with Batman in Gotham City. He tries to arrest Batman at first, but when he is unable, they team up despite their differences to end a trail of murders committed by Magpie.31This first meeting would later be changed by Infinite Crisis into a conflict on a cruise ship involving the Crime Syndicate, Deathstroke and Mister Mxyzptlk.32 The JLA was formed by Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter after Darkseid attacked Earth. Superman became one of the first members of the team, along with Batman and Wonder Woman, after the team was first formed.